I have been working on spiritual priorities lately. How are your spiritual priorities? Of course I am talking about the usual list that should include the Holy Trinity, spouse, family and friends. But what I am talking about here is the next level of spiritual priorities. How are you bringing the word of God to co-workers, acquaintances, and even random strangers? Have you ever has a conversation about God with a person that happens to sit next to you on an airplane? How would you even go about doing this, I wondered and prayed? Then it hit me. I start with a book. It can be the Bible but it might be something else like The Shack, Heaven Is For Real or Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way. It creates a nice jumping off point to begin a conversation especially if they ask about you the book. I was recently in an airport waiting for my flight that had been delayed. I noticed a lady was reading The Shack and so I approached her and asked if she was enjoying it. I told her that I had read it several times and still find myself turning to it on my Nook when I am looking for something to read. It gives me a sense of peace and hope. She told me that she was struggling with some of the imagery and so we talked about that a while. In the end, we exchanged contact information and I told her to let me know what she thought once she had completed her reading. Then something interesting happen. Another person sitting nearby began to talk with us about God. When I returned to my original place with the rest of my traveling party of co-workers, they asked me about the conversations that had just taken place. All of a sudden, I was bold with the power of the Holy Spirit and I began to tell them about my spiritual journey. I planted the seeds for the future. It is now up to God to grow them but I am sure He can handle it. I had prayed for wisdom about this task and out of nowhere came the answer. It is truly amazing how God can and will work in your life if you only let Him.
Jesus Came to End Death and to Build a Church
The twelve apostles chosen by Jesus formed the bedrock of the early Church , and their Catholic identity is deeply rooted in their direct relationship with Christ and the mission He entrusted to them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights this foundational role, stating that Jesus "instituted the Twelve as 'the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy'" ( CCC 860 ). These men were not simply followers; they were handpicked by Jesus, lived intimately with Him, witnessed His miracles and teachings firsthand, and were specifically commissioned to preach the Gospel to all nations ( Matthew 28:19-20 ). Their unique position as eyewitnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and their reception of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, established them as the authoritative leaders of the nascent Church, a reality echoed in the writings of early Church Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch, who emphasized the apostles' authority as repre...
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